Wonderland
by To Your Statisfaction
Summary: AU. After the Fitchs are forced to reevaluate their financial standings, Emily finds herself back in London instead of her summer photography course at NYU. In order to escape the craziness of her family, she finds herself a job at Wonderland, the local amusement park. It's here that Emily just do happens to stumble upon a group of people that may just change her life, forever.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I'm back guys. CRLHS: Discontinued/Deleted. But this is a new journey! One of which is quite interesting and I have a new idea I wanna play around with. Lemme know what you guys think, yeah?**

**Chapter Song: _Everything's Just Wonderful _by Lily Allen**

******Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing and am not British.**

* * *

Wonderland

Summary: After the Fitchs are forced to reevaluate their financial standings, Emily finds herself back in London instead of her summer photography course in New York City. In order to escape the craziness of her family, she finds herself a job at Wonderland, the local amusement park. It's here that Emily just do happens to stumble upon a group of people that may just change her life, forever.

Chapter 1: Everything's Just Wonderful

_4 Years Ago_

_"Welcome to Wonderland!" shouted the overly enthusiastic clown whom stood proudly at the entrance of the 'World's Most Amazing Amusement Park'. My arse. Even at sixteen, I know that this place is just bother bloody excuse for stupid tourists to come and spend their money for the Queen's profit. I scoff and continue to survey my crappy surroundings. Katie seems to have clicked off in front of the family towards the game sections, how bloody predictable. _

_Ever since the first time we came to wonderland for our twelfth birthday, she's had this bloody obsession with winning a giant ass teddy bear. Every time my dad manages to open a new fitness center, we take a family outing to Wonderland; today marks both Dad and Katie's fifth attempt._

_Mum, Dad, and James have apparently gone of to the rides, leaving me with no option but to follow Katie, as per usual. It doesn't take long for Katie's heels to stop clacking on the pavement as she seems to have sensed that her shadow isn't obediently following suit._

_"Hurry up lezza! These teddy bears aren't going to win them-fucking-selves now, are they? Chop Chop babes!" she says, her lisp prominent as the adrenaline from thoughts of winning a teddy bear have finally begun to wedge themselves into her slaggish mind. "Today's the day Emsy. I can feel it."_

_"Are you sure that just isn't the pain from your feet your feeling? I mean who wears fucking heels to an amusement park? And for Christ's sake Katie, please stop calling me lezza. I get it. No need to tell the whole fucking world." I grumbled to her. I had come out to Katie on our sixteenth birthday two weeks ago. She took better than I thought she would, but that's probably because she had just found out that she couldn't have kids._

_Katie scoffs and turns to me, from the corner of my eye I can already see her frowning. I put down my shit lighter and turn to look at her, fag planted firmly in between my lips._

_"Do you have to that right next to me?" _

_"It's just a fucking fag Katie. No need to get your knickers in damn twist. What're you scared off anyways?"_

_"Um Cancer?" she rolls her eyes and walks away. "you coming or what?"_

_I sigh and begin making my way towards her. Please. If there is any sort of God up there, please just kill me now._

* * *

_Two and a half hours later, Katie has finally run out of quid and is getting progressively more annoying; causing me to smoke more and more._

_"For Christ's sake Katie! Will you please just shut the fuck up?" I snap at her. She turns to me, her brown eyes fuming. Ladies and Gentlemen, Katie Fitch, sore loser extraordinaire._

_"Piss off Emily! This is all your fucking fault anyways!" she's about to turn around until she starts coughing dramatically. "And stop blowing your sodding smoke in my face. I don't want to inhale your stupid carcinogens."_

_I smirk and blow more smoke in her face, to which she retaliates by smacking the fag out of my hand. "Fuck's sake Katie! That was my last one! How is your lack of mini game skill my fucking fault anyways?"_

_"Because you didn't stick to the bloody plan! You can pretty much fuck off now, you useless muff muncher!" _

_"Oh go fuck yourself Katie. I'm not in the mood to deal with your damn mood swings." I flip her off and proceed to storm away. Who the fuck does she think she is? It's not my sodding fault that she doesn't know when to fucking quit. Unfortunately, as I let my mental rant run, I failed to notice the people heading in my direction. It's not until I collide with a firm, solid body do I realize this._

_"Can you fucking watch where you're bloody going next time?" snaps a silky voice. A sexy silky voice. I look an let out an audible gulp. Blue. Ice blue pools are staring down at me and it's not until I notice my stupid expression reflected in them do I realize that I haven't said a damn word. Pull yourself together Fitch._

_"Sorry." I mumble stupidly. Smooth move. I dare another peek at her beautiful blue eyes and I notice something that oddly resembles desire and pity flash through them quickly; immediately, they lose their hard edge and soften._

_"Christ I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm running late for my shift so I'm in a bit of a rush. But you. You look like you could use a fag." she sticks her hand into her back pocket and pulls out a fresh fag. "Catch you later, yeah?"_

_I nod my head stupidly and follow her peroxide blonde hair down until shes disappeared from my view. Just like that, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life walked away from me. Like my cousin Celia once said, "Emily, tu es fucked." And fucked I most certainly was._

Present Day

You have got to be bloody joking. This can't be happening. Ive been sitting in this exact same position for the past ten minutes. Just gaping between my mum and dad, who are both looking quite guilty. _As they fucking should be_. I take a deep breath to try and calm down my racing mind.

"So let me get this straight. We are now swimming in a massive amount of debt, and because of said debt, we're moving from our _home _in Eastbourne back to London and I can't go to New York for my summer course. Is this some kind of sick fucking joke?" I say exasperated. "This is such bullshit."

"Language Emily. This is still my house and you still live under my rules," my mother snaps. I bark a laugh and narrow my eyes on her. Livid green eyes burrowing on equally livid brown ones.

"This isn't your house anymore, now is it? Besides, if we're so 'poor', as you arseholes have so blatantly put it, why is it that Katie is currently in Spain and will be in Spain for another two months? Or James was able to get that brand new game console just last week? Why is it that I, your other _gay_ daughter is the only one who is suffering?" I sneered to my mother.

"Emily, you know that I don't have a problem with your, ehem, _condition_. This is a very big problem and I would appreciate it if you could stop being so selfish." she sighs and straightens out her already smooth skirt. "Luckily, your father found us a house in Ful-"

"Being gay isn't a condition mum!" I say interrupting her. "I have and will always be gay until the day that I die. Dad, what happened to the six 'Fitch Fitness' gyms that were plaguing the country no less than six months ago? Please enlighten me as I still have no clue."

Rob Fitch brings his hand to his mouth and clears his throat, "Well ye see love, I dunno what happened, but I somehow managed to place all of the gyms into a wager with the guys at the pub. One thing led to another and..." he lets the last part stretch out into an awkward looming silence. _Fantastic. A homophobe for a mother and a drunk gambler for a father._

"As I was saying, your father managed to find us a lovely home in Fulham and has been progressively begun moving as many of our belongings as possible into our new home. Emily, please be a dear and pack your belongings as we leave tomorrow morning bright and early. Now off you go!" Mum says as she proceeds to collect our now cold cups of tea. I roll my eyes and head through the front door of the house slamming the door in the process. I head over to my orange moped-she's the first thing I ever bought after my first high-class client payed me-and start it up with somewhat ease. Soon enough, I'm heading up the main street of Eastbourne to the only place I know I can find refuge at.

_This isn't happening. Fuck it. _I reach into my back pocket, pull out my phone, and scroll down to the one person I know who can make this better.

"Jello, this is Peggy." responds a very tragic excuse for a Polish accent. Immediately the corners of my mouth tug up into a small smile. "Vas happenin' cousin?"

"Hey. Any chance your free?" I ask, nervously twiddling my thumbs against the chipping paint of the handlebars. It's quiet for a few seconds and then her voice resonates with a bit of an echo.

"For you Emsy? I'm always free. In how long will you be here?" I hear some shuffling in the background, which I can only assume is Celia putting some article of clothing on. _Bit of a nudist, that one._

"Um, I'm outside now." I say as I pull up to a cream colored corner home. The front lawn is nicely manicured and the entire house has trimming that makes it look like something out of a fairy tail. I look up to the first floor window right above the front door, checking for any signs of life. It's not until I hear the front door opening do I shut off the moped and step off it. I immediately throw myself into Celia's already waiting arms and let myself be engulfed in her comforting hugs.

"Let's go inside Ems. This tragic excuse for a British summer is starting to settle and I'm feel a bit of a chill, if you catch my drift." I let out a small laugh and allow Celia to half drag, half carry me inside the warm home.

Other than Katie, Celia is probably one of the closest people in my life. Her mum is dad's youngest sister and ironically, the only one of his siblings who can beat him at a push up competition. Celia was born about and a half years after Katie and I, making her the second youngest member in the family, after James of course. But she certainly doesn't look seventeen. With her staggering height of 1.80, brown almost black eyes, and light brown hair, Celia hardly looks like a relative of mine. She was the first person I came out to when I was sixteen. She just looked at me and said, "So what? I like biscuits, vodka, fanny, and cock. Just not in that particular order." Celia has always been the only person who can successfully break up a Katie Fitch fist fight and successfully manage to call me out on my bullshit, but that's probably because Katie taught her how to punch properly after Celia's first day in sixth form, when she came home crying after people making comments about her awkward features. It only took a few weeks at the gym to change her slim awkward features into a toned powerhouse of muscle that could successfully take on anyone and anything.

After a good twenty minutes, we've just now reached the first floor and I can feel Celia's patience with me growing thin. She huffs, throws me over her shoulder and proceeds to glide up the stairs to her alcove, or the bat cave as Katie calls it. It's not until I feel her dumping me onto her bed do I open my eyes. Celia's barely covered bum is peeking out from under her floppy sweater as she peers into her mini fridge. A few jingles later, she's made her way back to the bed, a bottle of vodka in her hand. She hands it over to me and I immediately take a massive swig of it, letting the warming sensation hit my stomach. I peer up at her black eyes, which are clearly displaying sympathy and worry.

"What happened now Emsy?" she asks softly.

"It's all so fucked Cel. We're moving." I see her face freeze and her mouth hang open in shock. _3,2,1.._

"What? Moving? The fuck are you talking about?" she shouts. I knew this move wouldn't just affect our family.

"Yeah. Apparently dad's been drunk gambling and he managed to lose all of the gyms. We leave tomorrow morning to London." Another swig of vodka.

"What am I supposed to do now? I mean the first year of St. Andrews is gonna be such a fucking pain, but at least you would be visiting twice a month. But hey at least you have New York next week right?"

I bark a bitter laugh, "I don't have New York anymore. Turns out we don't have enough funds to pay for it. Yet Katie is still staying in Spain for another two months. I bet you she's blowing hundreds of quid every fucking day." I look at Celia and practically hear the cogs whirring in her head. It's not until her brown bun upward does she say anything.

"No offense Ems, but you need to calm the fuck down. You're starting to sound like the posh wags in my form. I know that's not what you wanted to hear but, hear me out. Katie worked like a dog with your mum last summer to rent that apartment in Marbella. You and I both know that the only thing your parents paid for was the first class ticket to get there. Besides, your parents said they would cover all your living expenses in New York, but you would have to deal with the plane ticket, which you rightfully did. I know this is move is gonna suck but, you'll be in London so that means you'll have a higher chance of getting new clients." _Seventeen my arse._

"How old are you again? Christ's sake Celia you make _me_ feel like the seventeen year old." I laugh, instantly feeling much better after our conversation.

"Eighteen on August 7th, which is precisely one month and six days away. Besides you just turned twenty like three days ago. I should know, I was the one taking care of your drunk ass." she says playfully swiping the vodka bottle before taking a swig.

"You're right though. It's just the way it looked earlier today was that mum basically cut me off because I was gay." I hear Celia huff and feel a slap on the back of my head. "The fuck was that for?"

"You and I both know your mum is still coming to terms with you being gay. Albeit, it's taken her three fucking years, but she's better now than she was last year. So stop being a stupid cow and let's go back to yours. We have packing to do." She hops off the bed and stretches her hand over to me. I gladly take it and wrap my arms around her waist.

"Thanks Cel. I'm glad we're related." She laughs and kisses the top of my head.

"Don't get all emotional on me now. But if it makes you feel better, I'm glad we're related too. Now hurry up. We have a massiveFulham pile of things to do and I actually want to sleep tonight." she says slightly nudging me as we head down the stairs and out the front door.

"It's not my fault you can't keep up with the 'old people' of Eastbourne." I giggle and gun the engine of my moped. I feel Celia wrap her arms around my waist and poke my stomach.

"Hush up you. Just for that, you're buying me dinner. And I'm starving." I let out a groan and drive ourselves back home. _The only thing that shows we're related is our matching appetite. But that's why I love you and will miss you more than you'll ever know._


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing and am not British.**

Chapter 2: New Houses

Mum wasn't bloody joking when she said we were leaving bright and early the next morning. Seven in the morning, and we were already heading down the A22 via London. I don't understand why we had to leave so damn early if London was only two hours away; but then again I don't understand how Dad managed to lose six gyms over the course of six months. James has finally quit moaning and is watching some video-probably porn-on his iPod Touch, mum and dad are talking quietly amongst themselves, trying to figure out who should stay at the new house and who should go job hunting first, and I'm sitting next to James with my Canon 5D in my lap and UrbanEars planted firmly on the sides of my head. No fucking way am I spending this car ride listening to anyone who isn't on my iPod. I rest my head against the window of the car and lose myself amongst the lyrics of Two Door Cinema Club.

_Well take a step outside your house_

_Have a look around it's all the same to me_

_Tiny places hold for you many memories that only you describe_

_New_

_New_

_New_

_New_

You're being melodramatic Emily. This might just be a good thing, I mean Celia did say I could get a whole range of clients. Just stop being such a stroppy cow and try, it's just until September then you can go back to Oxford and finish another wonderful year of photography. I'm just about to start drifting into sleep when the car suddenly comes to a stop. I look up from my window seat and notice a cottage looking house with three floors, a small but lovely front yard and a stained glass door. The neighborhood also seems to be a real nice place. _The hell?_

"Dad?" I ask as I stretch from the long ride. "Dad, how are we affording this place?"

"Hm? Oh I have a friend in realty who managed to half the asking price for this place from the original owners. Quite a cute place isn't she? Now come along Ems, we have boxes to lift." he responds while cuffing my shoulder. He hands me all the boxes marked with my name on it and sends me on my way.

I head into the house and notice it's really a nice place. I head up the spiral staircase towards the first floor and I'm dumped in a small hallway. Knowing that Katie and I will have to share a room this summer pretty much sucks, but it's not like we'll be in much either way. I choose the door closet to my right and am awestruck when I notice how large the room actually is. Four large windows on the right wall of the room come together to make a large bay window that shows the street in front of the house, and in the distance, the London skyline. There are two large mahogany wardrobes, large enough to fit all of Katie's things when she returns from Marbella, and two surprisingly twin beds leftover from the previous owners. I immediately dump my things on the one farthest from the door, a trick I learned after Katie first stumbled home drunk, claiming it as my own. The room has somewhat high ceilings that make seem larger than it actually is and to top it all of, the room is a blank canvas.

I lay down on the bare mattress to find it surprisingly comfortable and pull out my phone. Already dialing the one person I need to talk to the most. It barely rings twice until Celia's ungodly polish accent answers me.

"Jello, this is Peggy."

"Hey Peggy. Do you think I could speak to my cousin Celia?"

"Speaking. How's the new place Ems?" I let out a laugh and sit back up and stare at my surroundings before responding.

"It's actually a really nice place Cel. The room I picked for Katie and I is beautiful. And it's a blank canvas. You'll have to come check it out when you get out of school."

Celia groans into the receiver, "Don't remind me Ems. I have to finish this stupid paper on Hamlet and I'm no where near finished. I hope you have major plans for us when I get there." I can almost hear her pouting from here.

"Don't pout, it makes you look unattractive." I'm rewarded with the sound of Celia spitting her tongue at me. "Anyways, I don't think your last week will be sooo bad seeing as I left you a little surprise this morning."

"You left a what? Whaddya mean you left a surprise? When I went to college this morning there was nothing there. What did you get me Emily? Tell meee!" she practically screeches into the receiver.

"Chill out, yeah? I told your mum to bring out for you when you got home. You'll love it I promise. Anyways, I have to go. Mum is starting to flip and I need to go help her out. Love you Cel!" I say into the receiver.

"Love you too Emsy! I'll call you once I get home!" And with that our call is ended. I'm about to lie down on my bed again when I hear my name being called in the distance. _Fuck's sake._

I staggered down the spiral staircase, which I am now starting to think are going to become a problem when I'm drunk, and as I reach the bottom of the stairs I'm greeted by the sight of James, Dad, and some other bloke moving the telly onto the wall. When they finished, the other bloke, who is actually much taller than I thought he'd be, flashes me a small smile that only emphasizes his exotic features. He's got dark, floppy hair that barely covers his hazel eyes, which are quickly making progress across my body. _In your dreams, buddy_. He looks just about my age, maybe a bit older.

"Hey. I'm Freddie. I live next door." he says extending his lanky arm to me.

"I'm Emily. Nice to meet you." I respond, shaking his hand in a firm shake, "So, boys. What can I help you with?"

"I'm just about done for the day luv. I think I'm going to head out and find me a job. I'll see you when I get back. Thanks for the help again Freddie." Dad says. He walks over to James, plants a kiss on his head, and does the same to me before he walks out the door.

"Actually lezza, there's somethings that need to go to my room but I don't want the old bastards looking through it. Take Freddie and drop them off, will ya?" pipes up James. I walk over to him and kick him in the shins.

"That's for calling me a lezza and for cursing. The naughty bar might not be up yet, but I can still kick your arse." I say menacingly while he holds his shin for dear life. With that, I turn towards Freddie and signal him to follow me out to the truck.

"So, you're gay huh? That's cool, I mean, I don't have a problem with it. I, um, actually think you and I will be good friends" he says trying to make conversation as we're bringing up the boxes to James's room.

"What makes you say that?" I ask him, showing no harm to his acknowledgment to my sexuality.

"Well, for one, I won't have to worry about beating up blokes who hit on you. Secondly, I think you'll make a much better wingman than JJ. He lives about two streets over to the right." he responds, easily draping his lanky arm around me as we go back downstairs. We reach the ground floor and notice that almost everything is in its final place and we head out the front door, walking towards Freddie's house,

"Hm. Sounds like an interesting offer. But first, what exactly can you do for fun around here? It's been a little while since I've back to London." I ask him. He scratches his head as he reaches for the neatly rolled spliff that was hidden behind his hair.

"Well, JJ and I are currently working over at Wonderland. Ya know 'The World's Most Amazing Amusement Park'?" he says, sparking the spliff.

I laugh at the though of Wonderland. "Oh God! It's been ages since I've even thought of that place." _Or the blonde I ran into._

"Yeah? Well there's a nice lot of us Uni kids working there right now. I'm sure if you drop by sometime tomorrow, you'll be able to find a job no problem. They're always hiring. Plus, it's a great way to escape family troubles." he says winking at me before turning back to lighting his spliff.

"Hm. Well that sounds like a damn plan. I'll check it out tomorrow. Thanks Freddie." I say hugging him. I turn around and head back to the new Casa de Fitch. Just as I'm about to step inside, I catch Freddie's lazy stoner wave and can't help but let out a chuckle.

_New_

_New_

_New_

_New_

_It's going to take awhile to change_

_And get used to the journeys home on stormy nights_

_Weekends never far away you two can always come to stay_

_It's all alright_

I guess things might just work out after all.

* * *

The next day, I manage to catch Freddie making his way down the street as I was heading out to Wonderland. _I might as well try making a friend or two while I'm here._

"Hey Freddie. My mum says thanks for helping us out yesterday. She says you're welcomed over for dinner anytime." I say as I catch up to him. He nodes his head and offers me the currently lit spliff in his hand. I gratefully take it and a rather large hit.

"S'not a problem. Where are you of to today Em?" he says reaching for the joint.

"Looks like I'm taking you up on your offer and heading over to Wonderland. Try and find a way to keep myself occupied for the summer." I finish off the spliff and toss it to the side. I notice we're heading in a different direction than the Railway Station. "Erhm Freds? Isn't the Railway station that way?"

"Oh sorry. I usually ride with JJ to work. He lives just up the road. We can take you if you want. I mean it's not like we're going out of our way or anything." He says shrugging.

"Cool. Cheers Freds!" I say, happy that I've made a friend. We continue walking in a comfortable silence until we reach a white colored house on the end of the street. Outside of said house, leaning on a car, is a boy not much older than I. His unruly curly hair is brushed, looking somewhat manageable. As he turns and faces us, his bright blue eyes light up and he smiles a brace filled smile.

"Hello Freddie! How are you this fine morning? And who's this? Blimey she's beautiful and she has breasts. Breasts. Oh God. I can't. Too early. To-" he stutters until Freddie, thankfully, interrupts him by slapping his face.

"JJ! JJ! You're getting locked on mate." he tells the stuttering boy. JJ takes a deep breathe and manages to calm himself down. He opens his eyes, sends Freddie a thankful look, and extends his hand towards me.

"Jonah Jeremiah Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you. With regard to mathematic aptitude I'm in the top 0.3% of the population which is an interesting demographic statistic because paradoxically my communication interpersonal and intuitive skills are towards the lower quartiles." he rambles. Freddie, yet again, slaps his face and he immediately calms down.

I let out a chuckle and take his hand in a firm grip, "I'm Emily Fitch, it's nice to meet you too. Um, I'm going to my third year at Oxford University for Photography and, um, I'm gay." I could barely get the last part of my sentence out due to the fact that JJ has fainted onto the bloody sidewalk. I turn to Freddie who as let out a large groan and is shuffling, as fast as his stoned arse could let him, to pick up JJ. After a struggling to getting a good grip on the fainted boy, Freddie looks up at me and shoots me a 'Don't just stand there, help me' look. I roll my eyes and leaned down to help Freddie carry JJ into the driver's seat of the car.

"Why the fuck are you placing him in the drivers seat Freddie? He just bloody fainted!" I ask, exasperated. _Who in their right kind would place an unconscious person in the driver's seat of a damn car? The stoned, perhaps._

"Come off it, yeah? This happens more often than you think. Besides, JJ is the only person who can drive this sodding car anyways." he says shrugging his shoulders as he slides into the passenger seat of the car. I follow right behind him and throw myself into the back seat of JJ's granddad-mobile.

"And why is that?" _What a surprise. No damn safety belts._

"S'cause JJ built this car when he was about 14. Guy is a fucking genius. I mean you heard his little introductory speech." he says nonchalantly. He looks up at me from the rear view mirror and let's out a little chuckle at what I presume is my shocked expression. I'm about to respond but, it seems like JJ is finally coming around from his little coma.

"Sorry about that Freds. Now, Emily, if my guesses are correct, the fact that you're currently sitting in my car leads me to believe that there is a 98% chance that I am currently supposed to take you somewhere. Although, there is a 12% chance that you will actually be going to the same location that Freddie and I currently headed. Thus, where exactly am I taking you Emily Fitch of Oxford?" he asks, or rather rambled.

"Looks like you are a sodding genius after all JJ. Freddie actually mention that you two both worked at Wonderland so, I decided to tag a long and see if I could get myself a job over there." I reply with a smile, to which both JJ and Freddie happily return.

"Excellent! Well seeing as it will take us exactly 29 minutes to get there and our shift starts in 43 minutes, we should get a move on!" exclaims JJ, who is currently in the process of starting the car. We turn off of JJ's street and begin heading towards Wonderland with the sounds of Tupac Shakur hilariously blasting through out the speakers within the car.

After the third heavy rap song, Freddie finally turns down the music with the excuse that this rap music "was too much to handle for his tripping mentality", easily setting the stage for conversation that flows freely among us. I find out that JJ was currently a double major in quantum physics and probability at King's College of London; Freddie was majoring in construction over at the City University of London. Both had apparently lived in London all their lives and had known each other since they were in secondary school. I tell them about Oxford, Celia, and of course, Katie. It was after they hear about Katie, did I finally realize that we had actually parked up in the employee parking area of Wonderland. We all exit JJ's car and begin making our way into the park.

"Bollocks. Sorry guys I have to buy an entrance ticket. Think you can spare a few minutes?" I ask them as I reach for the loose quid in my purse.

"We actually have exactly 16 minutes to spa-"

"No worries Ems. JJ and I will get you in through the employee's entrance. Free of charge and it's closer to the park manager's offices." Freddie says, effectively shutting both JJ and myself up.

"Lead the way then, oh Perpetually Stoned one." I say, lightly punching Freddie's elbow. Freddie gracefully guides us through the employee's entrance, which was a rather small wooden door hidden behind a large brush. Once we pass through the door, we were dumped right into the park; the ever lingering smell of stale vomit, fried biscuits, and sunscreen instantly invading our nostrils. JJ turns to me and points out the park manager's office, which turned out to be a grubby looking building a little less then 200 feet to my right. I smile and wave off the pair, who tell me to stop by their water ride when I'm ready to leave. Once they've left my line of sight, I set off to the building. As I'm about to open the door, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I quickly fish it out and smile at the messages I received.

_**I'm the fucking shit at college now. Thnx for the scooter Ems. -Cel Xx**_

**Glad you like it. And you were the shit b4 the scooter. Take good care of her. She's precious cargo. -Ems xx**

I exit out of Celia's conversation and open up my other message; which happens to be from Katie.

_**Oi lezza. Just chckin in. Dnt miss me 2 much. -K xo**_

**Hey K. I'm at wonderland ATM. Trying to find a job to get me out of the house. Miss you lots. -Ems xo**

I dump my phone back into my bag and step into the office. My nose is struck with the aroma of stale fags mixed with a fresh one, sunscreen, and humidity which seems to accompany almost every building in England. I notice a middle aged blonde woman talking on the phone with a lit fag in one hand and make my way towards her. Patiently waiting for her to put down the phone, which she does after she notices my bright red hair.

"Listen, whatever your name is, I've got to go. Just get me those damn churros as soon as possible and we'll talk about your rate when they get here." she says into the receiver, promptly hanging up. "Jim! Will you please come out here? We have a girl applying for a job, you useless tosser!" she shouts.

"I'm coming, you bitch. Don't get your knickers in a twist!" grumbled a heavy set middle aged man with a prominent bald spot. He stands next to the woman behind the counter, eyes me up and down, before filling out an application from the counter. "So you're the girl interested in applying? Well, I'm Jim Stonem and this," he says gesturing and looking quite affectionately to the blonde woman next to him, " is my wife Anthea. We own and operate Wonderland."

I smile, "I'm Emily Fitch. Um I have a recommendation letter from my professor at Oxford if that's necessary." I'm about to reach for it, but am interrupted by Anthea handing me a pen and the form.

"Just sign here and I'll be back with your shirt. I'm afraid all we have are adult sizes. Will a small work for you?" she asks. I quickly nod my head, sign the form, and hand it back to Jim, who is also reaching for the shirt from Anthea.

He clears his throat and opens his mouth, "Alright, this is how shit works. No freebies, no free turns for your friends, no free upgrades, no free food."

"So basically, everyone has to pay for everything, yeah?" I ask.

"Exactly. Everyone pays. And most importantly, working games, never give out a massive teddy bear. Those things are bloody expensive and we're running quite low on them." Anthea says. I scrunch my face for a bit. _Games? I don't want to work bloody games._

"Actually, Anthea, is there any way I could get a rides job?"

"Well, we already pulled out a games application and shirt. Plus, you look like a games person anyways." Jim says. "Right, can I fucking continue?" I nod my head and he clears his throat once more, "By accepting this shirt, Emily, you are-"

"Hired. Our daughter, Effy, will show you around. Oh there she is now." Anthea says interrupting him and pointing behind me. Jim hands me the shirt and turns to Anthea, looking positively livid. I quickly thank them, turn around, and race out the door. _These people are fucking mental. _I sigh and hear a small chuckle to my left. I turn and see a girl about my age, leaning against the wall with a fag hanging lazily in her left hand. Her messy brunette hair is hanging almost elegantly around her face and her shockingly blue eyes are staring at my soul rather than me. She has this mysterious aura that instantly makes me gulp.

"We're all a bit mental here at Wonderland," she says as she slinks over to me. Offers me a fag which I gratefully accept, "Effy." she states with a smirk planted firmly on her face.

I take a drag of the fag before tossing it to the side. "I'm Emily. Emily Fitch."

"Well Emily Fitch, I hope your ready to go mad seeing as you'll be spending the next three months of your life here." she says before sauntering ahead of me. Im quick to follow her until I notice a flash of peroxide blonde from the far corner of my right eye. I feel my breath hitch and notice Effy hesitate for a slight second before picking up her pace again.

_No bloody fucking way._

* * *

**A/N: Decided to update a bit early seeing as I'm working this weekend. Shout out to all the people who favorited/followed _Wonderland!_ So, yeah, this is chapter two. I'm actually quite liking this story and have some sort of idea where it's going to end up.**

**Song for this chapter is _New Houses _by Two Door Cinema Club. They're quite an amazing group. Deuces!**


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing and am not British.**

Chapter 3: Pumped Up Kicks

"You coming Emily Fitch?" Effy calls out over her shoulder; clearly showing no desire to slow down her pace. I snap out of my blonde induced haze and sprint over towards Effy's side.

"Sorry about that. I thought I saw someone I knew." I mumbled. Looking up from my shoes, I notice Effy's ever present 'I know something you don't know' smirk is at work. I huff a little and roll my eyes. _So damn infuriating._

"Now that I have your attention. This," she says nodding her head to our general area, "is the games section of the park. We actually have more games spread out but, this is the main area. Usually, you'll rotate games depending on who is working at what time and which day. If you're suddenly needed at a booth, finish your current round and head towards the booth in distress. Also, never _ever _give anyone a massive teddy bear. You'll lose your job if you do. Besides, all of the games are unwinable anyways. Come along." My short legs could barely keep up with Effy's long, delicate strides but somehow, I managed to keep pace with her.

We arrive at a booth that has a series of neatly lined white bottles with an ever random red bottle thrown into the mix. In front of those bottles stands a blonde girl who clearly has some sort of hyper activity issues. Her blonde hair is separated messily into two pigtails, her fringe has somehow been braided and pinned to the back of her head by two brightly colored bobby pins. Effy walks to the counter, swings her legs over it, and greets the blonde, mismatched girl.

"Panda, this is Emily." she says, nodding towards me, "She's our new games girl and I'm making it your job to teacher her all the secrets of the games. Got it?" Panda vigorously nods her head and with that, Effy disappears.

"Whizzer! I'm Pandora, most people just call me Panda though. I'm useless. Bonkers! So this game is the called the 'Fleeing Dutchman'. It's quite whizzer actually. Five quid buys three rings and if they somehow manage to get a ring onto a red bottle, they win a massive teddy bear. Which is a bad thing." she says quite rapidly. "Bonkers! I'll take you to the next booth, which is run by Tommo. He's my boyfriend and he's well lush. We make monkey almost everyday in the arcade storage closet! Well, Let's go slow poke!" she grabs my hand and steers me towards the next booth called 'Prendre ce Chapeau!'. Behind the counter of that is a massive bloke of African origins who, upon seeing Panda charging towards him, breaks out into a massive grin that can only be rivaled by my dad's very own 'charming' smile.

"Panda! How are you ma cherie? Qui c'est ça petite fille?" he asks in a sweet and smooth French accent. Panda jumps on him, plants a big kiss on him, and turns towards me.

"Tommo, meet Emily. She just started working here. Effy," she stops herself, looks around, and lowers her voice into a whisper before continuing, "told me to tell her my game secrets, which I properly did. So now it's your turn to tell your secrets." Tommo gives her a quick peck on the lips before sending her on her way and focusing his attention on me.

"Hello, I'm Thomas. I run the game 'Prendre ce Chapaeu!', which is one of the most popular games at the park. Come, I will show you my secrets." he says before grabbing and pulling, rather dragging me along after him. _Jesus, at this rate I'll lose my arm by the end of the day. _He stops us in front of three rotating male mannequins, each with three bowler hats on top of their heads. "Alright. Each person gets the opportunity to throw _trois balls_ at the _chapeaux_. If they manage to knock one off the _chapeaux_ off, they win a prize. Quite simple yes?"

"Why does everyone keep saying 'if they manage to'? Panda and Effy said the same thing." I ask Thomas. He simply looks at me, chuckles, and begins to explain.

"You see every game here at Wonderland is, how you say, tricked. For example," he pauses and looks around just like his girlfriend did not so long ago. After declaring a clear coast, he reaches up and tugs on one of the mannequin's hats, "In my game, half of the hats are pasted onto the mannequin; making it quite challenging for anyone to win. Panda's game is virtually a defeat guarantee, not even JJ could beat it." he explains quite easily.

"Wow, if JJ couldn't win at these mini games I doubt any of these other idiots could win it." I snort. _No wonder Katie could never win a massive teddy bear. It's practically impossible._

"_Exactement mon amie. _Please follow me, as we have one more booth to show you. Please, feel free to visit me anytime." he says as we squeeze our way past the crowd. We reach an outdoor game, one which is actually considered a classic. Standing next to the hammer and bell tower is a fit looking bloke with short, messy dirty blonde hair, and a devilish smile. "Cook! This is Emily, our newest addition. Please finish her tour and find her a booth to run." Thomas says, giving me a quick pat on the shoulder and a pointed look at Cook, before returning back to his booth.

The so called Cook turns to us, grey eyes hungrily eyeing me up and down. _Ugh tosser. _"Hey there Red. I'm James Cook. But you can just call me Cook."

"Emily Fitch."

"Ya wanna willy waggle with me during your break, promise you'll want more of the Cookie Monster once you do." he says while suggestively thrusting his hips in my direction.

"Sorry _Cookie_, but I don't play for your team. I'm part of the 'gay as the window' club. We're actually quite a large club too." I snap at him. He simply let's out a large howl and picks me up in a large hug.

"I like you Red. You and me, we'll make a fine pair. One fit bloke and one quite fit bird, out on the prowl." I laugh and hug him right back. Cook is my favorite person by far, "Alrighty Emilio, this here is the classic test of strength. And quite possibly the cheapest thing in this fookin' place."

"How's this one rigged Cook?"

"M'glad you asked. You see," he says walking behind the bell tower, "We have the resistance bands attached to the weight systems. So whenever the weight is smashed by the hammer, the resistance band will be there to make sure the weight never touches the bell. Effectively making me massive amounts of quid without doing anything." he explains, flashing that signature devilish smirk at me.

"So basically, like, Wonderland Mini Games just rip everyone off." I say quirking my eyebrow.

"Pretty much. But that's okay cause we use these wankers money to go fookin' MENTAL every night. You'll be joining us tonight I presume?" I'm about to shake my head in rejection but cook quickly places his hand in front of my face, "I'm not taking no for answer Emilio. It's either a yes or a fuck yes. Let's go get you a booth." he makes an attempt for my hand but I quickly shove it in my back pocket and just urge him to go on. _I actually need this for somethings unlike you. _

Shrugging his shoulders, Cook proceeds to guide us towards a booth that had another classic carnie game called 'Pop 'Em!'. Essentially, this is probably one of the only games that wasn't rigged entirely. There were six seats; each with one water pistol aimed at the small hole that made up a clown's mouth. Whoever managed to shoot enough water and pop the balloon, won a small prize. Cook tells me stay put, get familiar with my surroundings while he goes and finds me a money bag and all other carnie essentials. I hop over behind the counter and begin playing another round of 'How Will You Take My Quid?'. So far, I can only come to the conclusion that: a) this game is rigged so that the balloons never pop, b) the water guns start losing their pressure after a certain time limit, or c) the clown mouths actually have a smaller hole within their already present hole.

"Hey Cook?" I yell out, only to find that Cook is already next to me.

"Yes muff muncher?" I slap his arm quickly before sending him a quick glare.

"How is this one bugged? Do the guns lose pressure after a certain time limit, or do the balloons never pop, or what?"

Cook let's out another howl of laughter before answering me, "Oh fookin' hell Red. You is gonna be the death of me mate. This is Wonderland. Rigging games like that costs a fuckload amount of money which Jim and Anthea aren't willing to cough up. I mean, they fire anyone who gives away a massive teddy bear because they're too cheap to buy more. Nah mate, in this game, only one seat has enough pressure to actually pop these suckers. So whoever sits in that seat goes home with a nice little prize."

"Which seat is it?"

"Ah, that Red, is something for me to know and for you to find out." he says winking at me. Cook pulls me in for a quick hug and starts heading back to his own booth, "Oi Red! My willy waggle offer stills stands. Just come find me whenever you want a piece of the Cookie Monster!" I let out a laugh and flip him off, to which he responds with another round of his boisterous laughter. I sigh and begin to wipe the counter with a rag that has probably seen better days until my first round of customers swoop in. I collect each players money, flip the switch that I think turns on the water guns, and begin the game. After five minutes, the balloons in Chairs 1,2,3,5, and 6 look nowhere near popping and suddenly a loud "BANG" is heard from Chair 4. _I found you, you rigged bastard._

"Congratulations to Chair 4," I say unenthusiastically, "Here's your prize. Enjoy the rest of your day at Wonderland." the person nods in thanks and walks away along with my fake smile. I slump my shoulders and let out a frustrated sigh. _Only three more months of this fuckery._

"That was quite the performance. Although, maybe next time you should try using an actual smile rather than a fake one."

I jump a little, startled by the sudden voice that invaded my moment of self pity, "Fuck off Effy. What exactly do you do here anyways? I mean you certainly know your way around the games, but you don't actually work them do you?"

She simply smirks at me, "I grew up here. I know all the secrets of this place. Besides, I'm what people call a 'manager'." _How bloody convenient, a manager who likes to appear and disappear at random moments. _"I'm serious though, Emily. Try putting a little bit more emphasis on your commentary. People here like a show. Be lucky it was me who saw you and not my dad. Otherwise you'd be fucked." I roll my eyes and turn around to face her, although it seemed like Effy had other plans seeing as she just disappeared. Again.

_Best make the most of this round, I suppose. _I gather around my latest pack of customers, collect their money, and begin the game.

"And they're off! Chair 1 seems to have taken the lead with a balloon that seems to be massively growing in size. But wait! It seems like Chair 3 and 5 have made a rather large come back from their slight late start. It looks like its gonna be a tie between 1 and 3. What's this? Chair 4 managed to take advantage of Chair 1 and 3's sudden slow place and has successfully managed to pop their balloon. Congratulations to Chair 4! Please come pick up your prize at the window!" I'm feeling supremely pumped from the sudden adrenaline rush until the woman in Chair 4 turns to me.

"What window?" I let out a sigh and quickly blush.

"There is none. Here you go ma'am. Enjoy the rest of your day at Wonderland." I say, quickly handing over a small, stuffed, pink dog. She takes it and quickly walks away. I let my head hang in embarrassment until I hear an indistinct chuckle. My head snaps up and I instantly flash back to all those years ago. _Blue_. The same blue eyes from that day, staring back at me with such curiosity and humor. _So beautiful. Okay be cool. _I snap back into reality, still keeping eye contact with the angelic blonde, and begin making my way back to the microphone stand in my booth. That is until I slip and stumble over my own two feet. Another chuckle, except this time, it's followed by a glittering smile and two very happy blue eyes. _Smooth Emily. Real smooth. Oh shit, shes coming this way._

The gorgeous blonde hops off of her counter and begins making her way over to my booth. I take this time to give her a very thorough and very much needed look seeing as I haven't seen her in well over four years. Her then short hair has grown past her shoulder, making her look like a damn supermodel as she walks toward me. Slightly tanned legs that go on for miles are confidently showcased by what appear to be the tiniest pair of shorts ever created. I rake my eyes towards her upper body and nearly start drooling; the nicest pair of tits I have ever seen are covered in a well worn Games shirt-which has been tied on the side-to reveal an equally tanned and toned stomach. My line of sight suddenly lands on her well lush lips, then head up her straight nose, and finally they rest upon her eyes. Oh god her eyes. They're still the beautiful ice blue from years prior and instead of showing pity or sympathy, they show a mixture of knowing, humor, joy, and desire. _Shit. way to come off as a perv Emily._

"That was quite a performance there. You really seemed to be into it." she says as she climbs over my counter, landing next me with her hand extended, "Naomi."

I quickly clear my throat and shake her hand, relishing in the feeling of her soft skin touching mine. _Fucking finally. _"Emily. Emily Fitch. I guess I must be quite the entertainer seeing as you're the second person to have said that to me today."

She flashes me a quick smirk, almost identical to Effy's, "I'm sure. But unlike Effy, I actually meant it." I smirk back. _Two could play at this game._

"Cheeky. But how exactly did you know it was Effy who said it and not Thomas?"

"It's quite simple really. No one else can do sarcasm like me unless they're related to me. Which, somewhat fortunately for her, Effy is. Besides, I noticed her walking away from your booth before the start of you're second round."

I quirk my eyebrow, "You and Effy are related? How? You guys look nothing alike." I take a few seconds to really look at her and notice the identical smirks. "Wait, are you guys sisters or something?"

"We're 'or something'. My mum is went to college with Anthea. We've known the Stonems since before I was born. Just don't tell Effy that, she hates it when I tell about our rebellious toddler years." she responds. She stretches her hands behind her back and hops over the counter once more. "Well, I better let you get back to work. Don't want Jim firing another pretty face after her first day. I'll catch you later, yeah?" she says walking backwards towards her booth.

"Yeah definitely! See ya around Naomi!" I say waving at her. She smiles and waves back to me, instantly sending my heart into rapid rate mode. _I think summer just got a whole lot better._

* * *

"I am so bloody exhausted! Why did I ever let you convince me into working here? What kind of friend are you Freddie?" I moan into Freddie's shoulder as he is currently giving me a piggy back ride to the parking lot. I feel a laugh rumble throughout his chest, giving me a slight facial massage.

"I didn't convince you to do anything Ems. You were just the idiot tosser who took a stoner's advice." he responds. In return, I bite his left shoulder. "Ouch! That hurt. Right off you go." He proceeds to drop me from his back and we continue walking towards a group of other workers in Wonderland's parking garage. Once we reach the group, it seems like there are discussions about what the gang should do tonight. Cook was all for going out, yet again, while Thomas, Panda, and JJ were against it.

"So what's it gonna be Freds? You gonna join the musketeers or go back home with your tail tucked in between your arse?" Cook pointedly asks Freddie.

"Not tonight Cook, everyone's had a rough day today." Freddie says sliding over and placing an arm around Effy. They've apparently been together since Freddie first got hired here as he was starting college. Cook huffs and turns towards me, eyebrows raised.

"What's it gonna be Emilio?"

I let out a sigh and look Cook straight in the eye, "Maybe next time Cook. It's been a long day; all I wanna do is go home and have a nice bath"

"Pussies, the lot of ya." It's right at that moment in which Naomi chooses to walk into our conversation, looking quite a bit flustered and slightly winded. _She's bloody adorable. _"Naomikins! Looks like it's just you and me tonight babes. We finally gonna willy waggle or what? I can most definitely make you feel more than alright." Cook asks her with thrusting hips. Naomi finishes lighting her fag and takes a long drag before turning towards Cook.

"You couldn't make me feel alright if you stapled your tongue to my clit and stood on a cement mixer." Cook's face drops for a fraction of a sentence and he starts howling with laughter. Soon enough, almost everyone else is holding their stomach with laughter; I couldn't help but to feel a sense of pride for my Naomi at that moment. _Woah there Emily. Your Naomi? She may not even be gay, idiot._

"They all come for it at some point. Alright pussies, I'll be at Keith's if any of yous decide to come out." he says before walking over towards one of the motorcycles. We all wave goodbye and soon enough, he's gone.

"Thank god. I thought he'd never leave." I blurt out, before slapping my hand to my mouth. "I said that out loud didn't I?" I look around and almost everybody is looking at me, trying to stop the chuckles from escaping their mouths. I could do nothing except blush.

"Freddie, Emily we have to go. I forgot to stop at my pharmacy during lunch and unfortunately we have to leave now if we want to make it before it closes." JJ says. Freddie nods and gives Effy a quick kiss on the lips before walking over to JJ.

"Actually JJ, I'm taking the train back home. I have to make a few stops before I head back home today. I'll see you tomorrow though. Bye guys!" They all shout their goodbyes and I quickly race towards the bus station; just in time for the bus to the railway station. I board the bus, find a seat near the back of the bus, and pull out my headphones. I close my eyes and lean my head against the window, relishing at the feeling of cool glass on my flushed face. Suddenly, I get the feeling of someone sitting next to me. I lift my head off the glass and turn, with my eyes still closed, to the seat next to me. When I open them, I'm met with Naomi's bright blue eyes once more.

"What? Were you gonna yell at me to get out of the seat or something?" she says with a playful smirk. I stick my tongue out at her.

"I mean you did kinda just sit on my friend Bob over there. How rude of you Naomi." _Emily Fitch, loser extraordinaire._

She snorts at me, "Wow, how old are you again? Five?"

"Hardy har har. No I'm twenty. Just turned last week. How about you?"

"You're such a baby! I turn twenty one in August. Thanks for making me feel old Emily."

"Never a problem Naomi." we fall into a comfortable silence and I let out a sigh. Place my head back against the window, getting lost in Skrillex's surprisingly soothing remixes. Eventually, the bus comes to a stop at the Waterloo line railway station, causing Naomi and I to dismount the bus. We walk along side each other, my fingers just twitching due to their lack of contact with Naomi's. It's not until our arses our firmly seated on the tube line en route to London, does she break our comfortable silence.

"How was your first day then Ems? Met anyone?" she asks, looking a bit bashful. _Adorable I tell you._ I dislodge my right headphone to show that I'm actually listening to her and plus, I didn't want to be rude.

"Um, it was quite good. Met loads of people like JJ, Thomas and Panda, Effy, and this one guy, shit he runs rides. He's just like Cook except he dresses in a whole bunch of neon colours?" I notice she's biting that beautiful bottom lip and brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly her face lights up beautifully and she snaps her fingers.

"You met Chris! Yeah he's, for the lack of a better word, Cook's partner in crime. Good thing he has his girlfriend, Jal-she's the one who recorded music for some of the rides-to keep his arse in line." she snorts. "But please continue. What else did you learn today?" she urges.

"Right. Well. I learned that Freddie and Effy have been together for almost four years; JJ doubles as the engineer sometimes when this guy, um what's his name, I dunno the other Engineer guy doesn't show up. Anyways, then at the cafe, this girl Cassie, who looks like she ironically, hasn't eaten in days, works there and she went to college with Chris." I practically blurt out. I look at Naomi who has an amused smirk planted on her lips, as usual. "And then there is the ever infamous Naomi. No one seems to know much about her. Or well maybe they do, they just don't want to tell me. She's apparently real chummy with the owners of the park and seems to be quite beautiful." _Way to go in for the kill. Not gay, stupid!_

Naomi seems paralyzed, speechless surprisingly. It takes her a few minutes to finally stop opening and closing her mouth like a gaping fish before she respond, "Jesus. That's quite a lot for your first day. No wonder you're moaning about being bloody exhausted. Anyways, which one of these is your stop?" she asks while rubbing her hands across her lean legs. _Gulp. Stay strong Emily, you can do this. _I'm about to respond to her until we're interrupted by the announcement of the next station. _**Our next stop is: East Putney**_

"Actually this is where I hop off and change trains. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" I ask her as I go to stand by the doors. She smiles at me and waves. I couldn't help but to wave back. Another 25 minutes later, and I've finally made onto my new street. _Christ that commute was horrible._ I walk up to our house and walk right in through the front door into the smells of artichoke soup. _Bollocky Wanke Shit, that stuff is._

"Emily? Is that you?" shouts a muffled voice. I follow it out to the back conservatory and find my mum and dad cuddled into one another, a glass of wine sitting between the two.

"Yeah. Sorry about just disappearing this morning mum, but I got myself a job today." I say leaning on to the door frame.

"That's great love. Where at exactly?" my dad asks.

"Over at Wonderland. Freddie and this other guy, JJ work there and they said it was always hiring so, I went and got a job."

"Well I hope things work out sweetheart. Oh, by the way, please call your cousin. She's been blowing up my mobile nonstop all day." my mum says, effectively dismissing me. I trudge up the stairs, make way to my room, and throw myself onto the bed; dialing Celia in the process.

"Finally! Where on earth have you been? I've been worried sick! Not one phone call or text message saying how much you need me! What is this fuckery?" Celia groans into my receiver. I let out a giggle, "It's not funny Emily. I needed to talk to you when I got home but your mobile wasn't working and your mum said you'd be out for a while."

"Sorry. Always being so over dramatic Celia; you could give Katie a run for her money."

"I did learn from the best." she says interrupting me.

"Anyways, I was over at Wonderland today. Got myself a job and actually made quite a decent group of friends. What did you need to talk to me about?"

"That's great Emsy! Well, I actually was calling to see if had any copies of you're _Hamlet_ essay. But it's okay, I called Katie and she sent me the number of same guy who did hers when she was in college."

I let out a frustrated sigh, "Celia, why do you this? It's your last fucking week of college for Christ's sake."

"Oh fuck off Emily. I got into St. Andrews. There's no way in fucking hell that I'm actually bothering with college now. I can't be arsed to do anything."

"Whatever you say Celia. Listen, I'm off to bed. Ill text you tomorrow during my break, yeah? Love you."

"Love you too bitch." I end the call and the moment my head falls against the pillow, my body shuts down, sending me into a deep slumber.

* * *

On the opposite side of London, near Soho, was Naomi Campbell herself. She had, once again, found herself in this situation: headed towards the same bar, to see the same person, for the second night in a row. Although she was headed to meet him yet again, her mind was racing back and forward through the days event. Starting with the very new and very attractive, fiery redhead. Naomi couldn't believe how in such a short amount of time, this gorgeous creature had wedged herself permanently into her group of friends. It's quite scary really considering that no less than three days ago, JJ had stated that their little group felt empty; incomplete perhaps. Her surroundings manage to pierce through her over analyzing brain and she turns into the pub on her left hand side. She scans her surroundings until she finally locates him.

"Hey." she says as she slides into the seat across from him. His ever present smirk planted on his face. "Why two days in a row? Isn't _she_ going to notice something is up?" Naomi asks, feeling a bit on the edge with the thought of finally being caught.

"She's actually back in Bath for the week. Her mum is in the hospital. She won't be back until Saturday night." he says rather smugly, "Let's get out of here." he stands up and confidently reaches for her hand. Naomi hesitates and catches the flash of his silver wedding band. It sits there, almost mocking her. _Get your shit together Naomi._ She grabs his hand and let's herself be lead out of the pub, in the direction of where ever he's parked his car now.

They reach his flat in five minutes flat; almost immediately after they walk through the entryway, he begins attacking her neck. The usual adrenaline rush is still there, except this time, as he begins to carry her to his bedroom, her final thought isn't about how long it will take her to get dressed once he finishes. No, this time, her final thoughts are simply two words: _Emily Fitch._

* * *

**A/N: YAY! Finally, Naomi Campbell appears! That was Chapter 3; Feel free to leave a review and a massive thank you to all those who have favorited/followed this story. Oh! And for those of you interested in a quick recommendation: _Breaking Points _by Crevette is brilliant. Go check it out. See ya next weekend!**

**Chapter song: _Pumped Up Kicks _by Foster the People.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Naive

For some reason, my phone decided not charge that night; causing me to wake up late and hold up my routine for 15 minutes extra. I crawled out of bed, my arms sore from all the wiping down I had to do yesterday; all thanks to some tosser who decided to barf up his corn dog. I barely made it alive out of the shower and by the time I was dressed and ready to go, JJ had texted me saying that him and Freds were taking the day to go visit Freddie's granddad in Bristol and would be back tomorrow; thus, leaving me to commute via railway to work. _Christ._

I stumbled down the stairs, registering the quick, hand written note on the fridge that read: **Emsy, we've gone to Eastbourne for the day; had to sign some paperwork in regards to your mum's boutique. James is at a friend's house for the night. Will be back very late tonight. Love you x.** _Great. Another night alone in London. _I grab a banana and quickly race off towards the railway station. One train change later, I've finally made it through the doors of the train to Wonderland, before my sleeve got caught on said doors; my feet, on the other hand, they had other plans. Instead of gracefully walking me over to the farthest seat from the doors, they decided to make me stumble onto the lap of the person sitting closest to the doors.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. Its been one of those mornings." I mumbled as I got myself off said person's lap, too embarrassed to even look at the person. _So far, London Emily sucks._

"That's quite alright. I guess this means you'll just have to give me your number since you forgot to do it yesterday." replies a silky voice that is only unique to one person in this world. She slides out her phone and waves it under my face. "Well, don't just stand there. You've got a seat to fill and a number to key in." I look up from the phone and flash Naomi an equally cocky smirk to match her own.

"Cheeky." I say as I grab the phone and plant my arse next to Naomi. I finish keying in my number and hand her back her phone. As she grabbed the phone, her fingers brushed against mine lightly and sent delicious shivers up my arm. My eyes quickly dart to her lips and then her eyes, which are now sporting a look of hunger and are aimed straight at my lips. I clear my throat and she looks away, tips of her ears turning pink. "Really though, I am sorry for falling on your lap. I tend to be much more clumsier than usual in the mornings."

Naomi lets out an adorable snort before pocketing her mobile. "It's fine. But Ems," she says easily, "next time you stalk me, try to be a bit more inconspicuous. It doesn't really work out when the person you're stalking can see you."

"I mean, you _are _very stalkable Naoms." the nickname rolling quite easily off my tongue and sounding quite nice if I do say so myself. "How come you take the train, if you're so chummy with the Stonems? Can't they offer you a ride or something?" I ask her.

"They could. But it would mean that I would have to wake up extra early and hightail it to Wimbledon every morning. Which is something I'd rather not do. It's too much work anyways."

I quirk an eyebrow, "Why? I mean where exactly do you live anyways?"

"I live in the Docklands. Right by the O2 arena actually." she responds. I'm about to respond but, instead a large yawn escapes my mouth; causing a sexy chuckle to escape from hers. "Go to sleep Ems. I'll wake you when it's time to catch our bus, yeah?"

"Cheers Naoms." I say before I close my eyes and lean my head against the cold window pane. I can feel myself teetering on the verge of a deep slumber when my head decides that it wants to do what it wants today: my head lulls to the side and collides with a solid object which I can only assume is Naomi's shoulder. Her breathe hitches sharply and she quickly tenses up, only to relax a few moments later. The heat radiating from her long neck acting as the perfect sleeping medication and before I knew it, I was out like a light; dreaming of ice blue. _Way to go Emily. Stalker extraordinaire._

* * *

Naomi and I end up getting separated as soon as we get past the employees entrance at Wonderland; and it was all Effy's bloody fault.

_"You've got to be joking Ems. There's absolutely __**no way **__that a teenage boy would actually wear a thong that matched with his dress. I think you've gone mad or something!" she snorts._

_"I'm not bloody joking here! James really does that. It pisses Katie off all the time, especially when he takes her good knickers!" I giggle. I'm about to continue until a cool voice decides to butt in._

_"Morning Emily. See you managed to find bad company today." Effy says with her ever present smirk prominent._

_"I know right? How unfortunate. I just can't seem to get rid of Naomi here Eff. Any chance you could help out?"_

_"Oh hardy har har. You guys are so hilarious that I forgot to laugh. Need I remind you, Emily Fitch, that it was __**you**__ who was on my lap this morning!" Naomi snaps. Effy quirks an eyebrow in my direction and I bow my head in a pathetic attempt to cover my blush._

_"No need to be your usual stroppy cow self, Noami. Why don't you run along. I'm sure you guys are bound to run into each other soon." comments Effy. Naomi rolls her eyes, flips us off, and proceeds to walk away. "Don't mind her. She's always been moody cow; even when we were in diapers. Anyways, since Freddie and JJ are gone for the day, we're short on rides personnel. So, you're gonna be working with Chris today." _

_I quirk my eyebrow at her, "But I thought I was more of a 'games person' anyways. Why am I suddenly working rides?"_

_"Like I said, we need rides people. Besides, the games area was fine before you got here, so another day without you isn't gonna kill anyone. Now go! Chris is waiting for you over by Splashworks." she says to me before sauntering off to God knows where._

Which is why I currently find myself wiping down, yet again, some more thrown up corn dog on the side of the boat for _Splashworks_. I toss the rag over into the control booth and make my way over to Chris, whose neon yellow pants make it easy to spot him from a mile away. Plopping myself next to him with our toes inches away from the water covered tracks, I reach over and pluck the recently rolled and sparked spliff right out of Chris's hands.

"Hey mate! I had plans for that spliff." he whines before he plucks it out my hands and takes a long drag from it. He leans his head back and proceeds to make rings from the smoke before he hands me back the spliff. "That's top quality shit too! I only use it for special occasions!"

I release a thick cloud of smoke before quickly inhaling some of it; I hold it in for a few seconds and then let it loose, "What could possibly be the occasion of celebration, Christopher?"

"Ah, ya see babe, today on this the fifteenth of July, was the day my precious little bundle of joy, Drew Kyle Miles was born. It also happens to be the day that Jal told me that I was someone worth trying for."

I stifle out a stoned giggle and proceed to pinch his cheek, "Your such a romantic fluff ball aren't you Chris? Who would've thought!" Chris slowly slaps my hand away but in the process, he manages to drop the spliff and his lighter into the water with a satisfying _plop!_

"Oh fucking hell!" he says looking down into the tracks. "It appears that my lighter has gone and jammed something in the tracks. I better call Maintenance."

I quirk my eyebrow and flash Chris a look, "How exactly do you know that it's jammed something in the tracks? I can easily reach down and get it!"

"The less questions you ask the more you know babe," I quickly slap his arm to which he sends me a quick whine, "Ow. That was uncalled for. Anyways, if I call Maintenance for something as stupid as this, the situation will turn into like a fucking episode of the O.C.; which is something quite entertaining." he winks. I feel my eyebrows furrow in concentration, my stoned brain working as fast as it possibly could.

"Can't you lose your job for this Chris?"

"Fuck it! Life is too short for thinking about such stupidities. Besides, I've known Anthea's son, Tony, since fucking college. We're proper mates, the two of us." Chris stands up, stretches, and offers me his hand; which I gladly take. As I stretch my now numb arms, my stomach decides it's time to start communicating with Chris.

"Run along and go get some food. In fact, this ride will probably be shut down for the rest of the day so, feel free to either scram early or see Effy about some other job you could take for the day. Later babe!" Chris nudges me in the direction of the stairs, causing me smile and peck him quickly on the cheek.

"Thanks Chris! I'll stop by later just in case!" I wave goodbye to him and proceed to make my way to the food court of the park. I pull out my phone and press the worn down "5" digit on the keyboard.

"Hey Ems. Listen, I'm really sorry for acting like such a cunt yesterday. It's just that stupid Hamlet paper was really being a pain in my arse. I want you to know that I actually tore up the copy that Katie's contact gave me and wrote my own." Celia splurts out. I chuckle a bit and let the silence hang in the air around us before actually responding to her.

"It's okay Celia. I'm sorry I acted like your mum. I know how much it bothers you. It just bothers me when someone so smart like you doesn't try. You could do so much better."

I hear a large sigh on the other end of the receiver; a sign that I got through to her, "I guess you could say that we were both twats yesterday. Enough of this mushy feelings bullshit. How's your day going Ems?"

"It's not that bad actually. I was working rides today with this guy Chris-who I think you would like-he's quite nice. Has amazing spliff too. Anyways, he dropped his lighter onto the tracks of the water ride we were working; basically causing the entire ride to shut down for the day. I'm on my way to get some lunch, maybe stop by Naomi's and see if..." I feel myself trail off as the realization dawns on me. _Oh shit. Naomi. This morning, her lap, oh god. I sound like JJ_. I'm snapped out of my reverie by the sound of Celia screaming my name into the receiver, "Sorry Cel. What did you say?"

"For fuck's sake Emily, keep it together! Who's this Naomi person? And why is she capable of rendering the uber smooth Emily Fitch speechless?"

"Give me a sec." I look around and find a nice bench hidden behind a thick brush in the smoking area of the park. _Perfect. _"Cel?"

"I'm here"

"Okay good. Oh god Cel, you'll never believe what I'm about to tell you."

"Try me."

"Okay, well," I inhale deeply through my nose and lower my voice to a whisper, "remember that really fit girl I told you about? The one I ran into around my sixteenth birthday, when we came to Wonderland?"

"Um, sorta." I can practically hear Celia scratching her head from here, "Oh wait! She offered you a smoke and you basically fell in love with her on the spot. Yeah what about her?"

"Well, Celia, as it turns out, she works here in Wonderland; Games just like I do! Her name also happens to be Naomi."

"So the ever elusive Blondie has name. Naomi. That's such a hippie name."

"Celia!" I snap into the phone, "I happen to think her name, along with her entire self, is beautiful."

"You've been thinking about her 'beautiful self' since you were sixteen. But I get it Ems, no making fun of your soulmate's name."

"She's not my soul mate." I grumble into the phone, "Don't you have class right now? I'm sure your college director wouldn't appreciate you skipping class."

Celia snorts, "Not yet anyways. I actually have the afternoon off, thank you very much. I'm headed over to Oliver's before going home. I've got to pick up a few things for tonight."

"What's going down tonight?"

"Nothing much. Supposedly, we're going out to this new club in Brighton. I'm not sure if I'm up to go on the pull tonight."

"Wow. The ever promiscuous Celia Thorpe doesn't want to go out on the pull? I guess the World will end this December."

"If I was with you right now, you wouldn't be able to feel your bloody face." she grumbles into the phone.

"Calm down Cel. I'm just playing. Anyways, I've got to go. My stomach is starting to hurt from all the hunger. Text me if you need anything."

"Not much you can help me with anymore. Later Ems!" she says before the line goes dead. I let out a sight and lean back into the bench, closing my eyes in the process. I begin blocking out all of the outside noise, until I hear a throat clearing to my left. I crack my left open, shutting it quickly, and letting out a large groan.

"Jesus Effy! Don't you have anything better to do than stalk me?" I say into the space between us.

"I'm not the one sleeping on the clock. Besides," I hear some ruffling, a lighter being sparked, and a drag being taken, "I hear you're quite the stalker yourself." At this point, my eyes pretty much snap open on their own accord and I'm pretty sure that I have a mental look on my face.

"I'm guessing you've talked to Naomi recently?" I say before pulling a fag from my back pocket and sparking it with Effy's lighter.

"I've talked to Panda and Cassie recently. I've talked to loads of people recently." she says cooly.

"You know Ef, this whole 'I know something you don't know' act is getting quite old." I say grumpily.

"It's not an act if it's true." she responds, her ever cloudy blue eyes boring into my soul. _Nothing like Naomi's clear blues._ I shake my quickly, toss my fag, and rise up from the bench. "Emily?"

"Yes Effy?"

"You can take anything if you really want it enough." With that, she tosses her fag and leaves me to my own thoughts.

"What the fuck does that mean!? Effy!" I shout after her, only to find that she's disappeared into thin air. _Bloody hell, I'm going to murder her._

* * *

After a quick five minute walk, I've finally made it to the food court and hightailed it to the nearest corn dog booth. The universes must be trying to tell me something because as soon as I pay for my meal, another psychic in the form of a very meek blonde girl has decided to tell me my fortune again.

"Oh wow, you really are beautiful." she says with a dazed look in her eyes.

"Um, thanks. I think we met yesterday; Cassie right?" I ask wearily. I see her gulp and she flashes me a dazzling smile.

"Like, yeah. You're Emily. Like I said, you really are beautiful. No wonder she's gone mad." she says cryptically.

"Who is gone mad Cassie? If anything, I'm the one going mental after working here for two days. Anyways, I've got run. Have a nice day Cassie." I say quickly making my way back towards the bench I previously occupied. As soon as it got into my line of vision, my feet decided to make a sharp left turn and hightailed my arse towards the games area. Naomi's booth in particular.

She was working the basketball game today; fuck me, she looked better than ever today. Her slim, toned legs would flex as she tossed the basketball easily through rigged hoop, inspiring the hopes of pathetic customers nearby. Naomi was wearing another Games shirt but unlike the one from yesterday, this shirt was the perfect length; so, no fit stomach today. It was, though, sleeveless causing me to ogle at her equally toned arms which allowed her to easily sink in another ball in the hoop.

"She shoots, she scores!" I shout out. Naomi spins around, almost instantly, her eyes light up and she flashes me a dazzling smile that turns into an easy smirk.

"You stalking me again? You've got to stop doing that Emily. It's not healthy."

"I'm the epitome of healthy. But I think after working here for the summer, I won't be so much." I say, taking a bit out of my corn dog in the process. I noticed Naomi went a bit quiet, sending murderous glares to the corn dog currently living in my hand, "You okay Naoms? You went a bit mute on me there."

She shakes her head, seemingly snapping herself out of her thoughts, "Sorry what? Yeah I'm fine. Quite actually. Seeing you devour that piece of corporate meat made me realize that I'm bloody starving."

"Oh I didn't mean to stop you from going to lunch. I actually just found out that I had nothing to do for the day so, I'm thinking about leaving." I say quickly making myself walk away; that is, until a firm grip on my wrist stops me from doing so. My eyed begin roaming up from the slender, porcelain wrist to an equally slender neck until they've made eye contact with Naomi's serious blue eyes.

"Ems," I feel my breathe hitch, "Stay. You can keep me company during lunch, not a problem. Alright?" she says in a serious tone, her eyes flashing with determination.

I gulp and nod my head, causing a breathe taking smile to take up residence on her face, "Yeah, alright Naoms. Let's go then." Still smiling, she grabs my hand and begins dragging us towards what I assume is the food court; I was too busy relishing at the sensation of her skin against mine. _Delicious._

"Emily. Emily. Fitch. Emily Fitchster! Oi! Stalker!" I finally snap out of my Naomi haze and find myself faced to face with a concerned Naomi.

"What? What's going on?" I ask rather dumbly; immediately blushing in embarrassment.

"As I was saying, why do you have nothing to do today? This is wonderland, everyone always has something to do." she says as she starts to playfully swing our hands back and forth like a grandfather clock pendulum.

"Oh I was working _Splashworks!_ with Chris today and he dropped his lighter in the water, onto the tracks. Something about lighter causing a jam and an episode of the O.C. But anyways, all I know is that he told me to go home early cause the ride would be closed down all day."

"Ah, I see. Well Jimmys gonna have a proper field day with Chris when he finds out about this. He practically loathes Chris." she says shrugging her shoulders. I'm about to respond until I realize we're headed in the complete opposite direction of the food court.

"Naomi, why are we headed to the Stonem's offices? Isn't the food court the opposite way?"

"Pfft. Emily, only idiots actually eat from the food court. That food is at least three days old. Besides, I have a special meal waiting for me anyways." I nudge her shoulder quickly but firmly. "What was that for?!"

"For not telling me about the bloody food here! I could die tonight and it would all be your fault!" I say.

"Id rather you didn't, actually."

"And why is that?"

"Because Emily Fitch, I'm having a party tonight and I would like to see you there."

"First you forget to warn me about the deathly corn dogs and ow you throw a party without inviting me? Effy was right: you really _are_ bad company." I say playfully.

"Oi! That _was_ you're invitation! And don't listen to anything Effy says. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Not a formal one, but fuck it! I accept. Wait, I thought Effy was 'all knowing'?" I respond more confused than before.

"She maybe all knowing but, she may not _understand _whats going on. Enough about her, tell me about you Ms. Fitch." she says as we walk into the backdoor of the Stonems office building.

"You know what, I don't find it fair that you know my last name and I don't know yours." I say, crossing my arms while Naomi rummages through the fridge. Her body crouched down in a position that represents a lioness on the prowl. _Fuck me, please._

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out." she says winking towards me as she leads us out that back door we came in from. We spy a nearby bench, proceeding towards it until I feel my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I pull out my phone, scan through the received message, let out a large groan, and bang my forehead against the bench; startling Naomi, who had a lovely panini halfway towards her mouth.

"Whats wrong Ems?"

"I'm sorry Naoms but I've got to go. Something urgent's come up." I pocket my phone and begin getting up from the bench.

"Anything I can do to help?" _you see that Emily Fitch coloured puddle over there? Yeah, well, that was caused by a one blonde Naomi._

"Not this time, no. I'll see you later tonight, yeah?" I say. Before I could even think, I lean down and give Naomi a quick peck on her cheek. I pull back up and walk away from Naomi as fast as I could; shouting a quick bye as I left. _Bloody hell._

* * *

Eventually, the fiery redhead left her line of vision; leaving behind a stunned Naomi Campbell, pathetically holding her now red cheek. _What the fucking fuck._ Naomi is snapped out of her increasingly naughty and conflicting thoughts about Emily Fitch by the sound of a body plopping down next to hers.

"Good lunch then Naomi?" says a voice that Naomi has heard her entire life.

"Um, yeah. Fucking great lunch Eff." she responds, still staring at the direction that Emily parted off towards.

"Oh Naomi, you have no idea how much more twisted this is really going to get."

"What're you talking about Eff?" Naomi says, looking towards her right; only to find herself alone once again. "Oh fucking hell. What're you doing Naomi?" she says out loud, hiding her face behind her gentle hands. She stays in that position until the realization suddenly dawns on her. _I knew it. _

With that, Naomi rises from her seat, tosses her lunch, and begins making her way back to her booth; creating her plan of action for the night that will seem forever to come.

* * *

**A/N: MASSIVE THANK YOU TO ALL OF THOSE WHO REVIEWED! I'm glad you all like the story so far! The next update might be a bit later than usual seeing as it's my birthday on Tuesday and my brother leaves for uni on Sunday. But, I'll see what I can do!**

**Chapter Song: _Naive_ by The Kooks (The Lily Allen cover to this song is fantastic; check it out!)**

**Have a nice week everyone and feel free to drop a review :3**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Teenage Crime

As the elevator keeps rising, I can't help but think we have the wrong address. My nervous fidgeting has me checking my phone once again, just to make that we have the right address from Naomi.

_**Party starts 8. Feel free to get here a bit later. Pan Peninsula Square, Flat 38001. Just say you're here for me and the tosser at the desk will let you up. -N x**_

I scroll past our later text messages until the elevator finally dings, the slick metallic doors opening out into a single hallway. I feel a firm nudge against my back and I immediately send a glare in their direction.

"Don't just stand there. Let's go! We're late enough as it is." huffing, she steps out of the elevator, her short legs taking long strides until she stops in front of the only door in the hallway. She knocks thrice and places her hands on her hips; a sign that she's obviously impatient.

"Fucks sake, will you please calm down? It's not my fault we're late. It's yours! Anyways, these aren't your usual hair and body kids so please, don't embarrass me." I plead, looking directly into heavily makeuped eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say Emily." Im about to bark out a response but then, the door flies open; revealing a very adorable and a very _drunk _Naomi.

"Emily! You came! I'm really glad youre he-" she cuts herself off as she takes in the sight in front of her. She then slaps a hand over her eyes, letting out a huge groan, "please don't tell me I'm seeing double. I'm not drunk enough for these hallucinations yet."

I let out a laugh while Katie lets out a snort, "Not quite right there, Naoms. This is my twin Katie. Katie, this is Naomi, she works the games with me at Wonderland."

"Yeah yeah, it's nice to meet you and all. If you could point me in the direction of the men and booze that would be greatly appreciated, yeah?" Katie says, rather rudely. I let out a sigh as Naomi easily ushers us into the flat and points out to the general direction of Katie's worldly desires. I, on the other hand, was dumb struck by the flat itself. It was _massive. _Floor to ceiling windows showed off the entire London skyline fairly easily; there was music playing loudly through what I could only assume was a wireless stereo system; loads of people-easily in the high double digits-were lounging comfortably in the general vicinity; and to top it all off, there was a staircase, that lead _upstairs._

"Naomi, this place...words can't even describe how amazing this flat really is!" I say as I begin making my way along the far right wall closest to the door. On this wall, there were multiple photos of what I could only assume was Naomi, Naomi's mum, and man who bore no resemblance to either woman, but easily fit into the pictures. "Who are they?"

I hear Naomi's surprisingly light footsteps and practically feel her standing behind me. _So close yet, still so far._ "Curiosity killed the cat eh, Ems? Well, that short brown haired girl is yours truly, the blonde woman is my mum Gina, and that old bastard is Kieran: mum's then boyfriend turned fiancé turned husband as of last year." she says right into my left ear, sending delicious shivers down my spine.

I turn around, facing a now smirking Naomi, easily matching her smirk with my own, " I knew you weren't a natural blonde. How many bottles of peroxide did it take to finish your hair? Three? Four?"

"One and a half actually. My hair was significantly shorter back when I first did it; besides, it's not like fire engine red is so natural either." suddenly, Naomi's face is mere centimeters from my own; her breathing ragged and blue sparkling dangerously into my brown, "You don't fool me Emily Fitch." _Fuck. Me._ Her eyes quickly dart to my lips and once more, she has backed herself out of my personal space, "Come along, Ill give you the grand tour of the Casa de Ca...Naomi! You ain't getting my surname so easily, honey."

"You're such a tit, Naomi." I say, bumping her shoulder. She flashes me a grin and begins our grand tour at the center of the party: the kitchen. Modern furnishings along with modern appliances combine effortlessly with the floor to ceiling windows to give the area a much more wide open feel to it. We spy Effy and Panda standing by the oven, opening it every once in a while, letting out a delicious chocolate aroma that most definitely contains something illegal. Next to them is the kitchen island which is currently sporting three by four rows of all alcohol possible: wines, beers, tequilas, and of course, vodkas. Surprisingly enough, Katie is in the room as well, heavily flirting with-even more surprisingly-a one James Cook. _Bloody hell, they're perfect for each other._

We exit through a side entrance to the kitchen which leads us to a hallway that houses a bathroom and dumps us back to the main living area of the flat. Naomi beckons me to follow her up the stairs; I can't help but to simultaneously gulp heavily and follow her eagerly. Once up the stairs, there is an small area that doubles as an office space and is exposed to the living room downstairs. It acts as a connector to the two hallways branching respectively from each side of the area. Naomi grabs my hand in hers, drags me through the farthest door to the left, and we're suddenly transported to a flat not in the uber modern Docklands, but the ever bohemian Hackney. _It's all quite Naomi indeed._

The room has three walls, each painted a bright pastel colour covered by multiple posters depicting some sort of cause. The last wall of the room isn't really a wall but, rather another set of floor to ceiling windows that house the beauty that is London at night. Facing the windows in the center of the room, is a rather comfortable looking queen bed whose comforter matches the color schemes of the walls. Behind the headboard of the bed, is a desk that faces the windows and is currently covered by multiple thick university books.

"So what do you think?" asks Naomi, who was elegantly sprawled out on a lazy boy in the back corner, near a set of double doors.

"I think it's rather beautiful. Very much you. It also happens to be bloody massive!" I say, laughing out the last part. Naomi rises up from her chair, grabs my hand once more, and leads us out through a set of glass doors that chuck us out onto a balcony outside of Naomi's room. "The London skyline really is gorgeous isn't it?" I mumble in fascination. Out of my left ear, I hear a very quiet, "yeah, she really is." I turn towards Naomi and find myself staring into her blue eyes once more.

She clears her throat, snapping us both out of our haze, before asking out loud, "So, twins. How exactly did that happen?"

"Well Naomi, when a mummy and daddy love each other very much," I feel a playful shove on my left shoulder, "Ow!"

"That's not what I meant. Is she that crisis you had to deal with earlier today?"

I nod my head in response, letting my memory of earlier today take over my senses.

* * *

_After making a complete arse out of myself by kissing Naomi's cheek, I hightailed back home; actually making it in record time. Nearly sprinting an entire mile, I was winded by the time I pulled up into our front lawn, spotting a very tan Katie Fitch sitting on the porch steps._

_"What the fuck took you so long, lezza!? I've been sitting here for over an hour waiting for your arse to come home!" she huffs as she stands up, wiping the invisible dirt of her short summer skirt._

_"Hello to you too, Katie. For your information, I got your text while I was at work, which by train, is a good 55 minutes away. What the fuck are you even doing here? You're supposed to be partying the summer away with Sergio, Alejandro, Julio, etc." I ask, unlocking the front door. I step inside, immediately heading up the spiral staircase with one Katie Fitch hot on my trails. We get to our room and immediately throw myself onto my bed, relishing at the feel of the soft mattress._

_"Alejandro? Are you high? Ugh whatever. Anyways, I was supposed to be there for another two months obviously but then the landlord raised our rent do complaints of 'unruly noise in the mornings'." I couldn't help but to grimace at the thought. We may be twins but, my desire to hear about Katie's sex life is just about as big as her desire to know about my own. Which ironically, hasn't been as busy as hers. "So, I called up our old number in Eastbourne only to have received a message that the bank now owned our house. I dialed mum, one thing led to another and ta-fucking-da, I'm here. Now, whats going on tonight?" she says sitting herself down on the bed opposite to my own. I reach down and pull open the text I had received from Naomi while on the tube ride back home. I'm about to reply to her with intentions of using exhaustion as an excuse, until Katie decides to snatch the phone right out of my hands. Her eyes quickly scan the message, instantly the lighting up when she catches the words Party, Tonight, and the kisses after Naomi's initials. "Don't just sit there Emily, we have a party to get ready for!"_

_I let out a groan, throwing myself backwards onto the bed, "Im not going out tonight, Katie; especially __**not**__ to Naomi's."_

"_Why the fuck not?! This Naomi person obviously wants your hot lezza arse; I'm in the need of a good shag; and there is no fucking way in hell we're staying in this shit hole all night." Katie practically shouts as she throws the phone in the general direction of my face, "Tell her that we'll be there tonight and to send you an address."_

"_Kaatttieeee, do I really bloody have to do this? Besides, Naomi doesn't want my 'hot lezza arse', she's straight."_

"_You may be well fit Ems but, you certainly are oblivious. She __**definitely**__ wants it. Now let's go, we have a party to get primed and prepped for." she says, already halfway down the stairs._

* * *

"Oi! Yoho! Ems! Come back to me, Emily." I hear faintly in the background. "EMILY FITCH," at the mention of my last name, I snap out of my thoughts at return my attention to Naomi's sparkling blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, what? Did you say something?" I'm rewarded with an easy smirk on Naomi's face that can only warn of a future sarcastic remark.

"Well, if you must know, you just missed your only opportunity at hearing how to easily break into the Bank of London; but that's okay. I'm sure whatever had you so deep in thought was much more important."

I let out a snort, lightly pushing Naomi's arm, "Cheeky bastard."

The silence settles between us; but, not in awkward manner. It's actually quite nice between us, not having to fill every waking moment with mindless chatter. We stand against the cool railing outside, admiring the view of a surprisingly clear London skyline, when Naomi clears her throat.

"Campbell." she says quietly.

"What?"

"My last name. Campbell."

"Naomi Campbell?" I say, testing out the feel of her full name on my tongue. _It even sounds amazing._

"Yes, Naomi _CampbelL._ If you're gonna poke fun at my name, I'll just go back inside and leave you hear to freeze to death." she retorts.

"I don't ge-" I say before finally understanding her sudden animosity. "Oh. Oh christ, that's horrible! How did that even happen?"

"Well Em, when you've got a hippie for a mother, these are some of the things you tend to learn to live with."

"Some hippie, this place is massive!" I retort

"Well, that's because you haven't heard the story about this place, now have you?" she grabs my hand, drags us towards the lounge chairs near the doors, and takes out a couple of fags, "Come on, it's story time. Besides, you owe me one anyways." she says winking. I feel my mouth fall open before I shake my head, snapping back into reality. _Un-fucking-believable._

"You remembered? Why didn't you say anything earlier?" I ask, grabbing the fag, lighting it, and taking a deep drag; Naomi mimicking my exact routine only a few seconds in delay.

"I actually just remembered today, like right after you had left. Now are you gonna let me tell my story or what?"

"Jeez, chill your knickers, yeah? Continue by all means." Naomi takes a drag from her fag and I can't help but to stare at her lips. _How I would love to be that fag. Am I really getting jealous over a fag? Why yes, yes I am._

"Well, we actually used to live over in Mitcham; real simple neighborhood and house. Mum was a bit mental in those days; she had decided to turn our home into a communal living house. I was just starting college and I remember being such a fucking cunt to her about all of the people living in out house; all of which weren't paying rent. Anyways, this one day, I had a real shit day at college cause some tossers decided it would be fun to embarrass me. So I said, 'fuck it' I'm going home."

"Wait what does this have to do with you living here?" I ask, confuse evident all over my face.

"Oi! It's my story, let me tell it how I want to. Anyways, when I got to my house, I noticed this raggedy looking bloke just staring at our house. I asked him what his deal was and he said that a friend of his had told him about my mum's communal arrangement; but, he was to nervous to go inside. So, for once in my life, I put my own feelings aside and offered the bloke to come inside and have some tea. He ended becoming a very close friend of mine and I'm pretty sure he shagged my mum too. But, I digress. This guy ended up staying at our house for a little under three months, one day he just got up and left without saying a word." she goes in for another drag, taking a moment to catch her breath once more before continuing, "A few days later, there was a knock on the door and when I went and opened it, my good friend was there; except, he no longer wore raggedy clothes. Instead, he wore a fitted suit, expensive Italian leather shoes, and the most massive watch I had ever seen in my life. As it turns out, Mr. Raggedy, whom I knew as K, was actually Ken Wills, the multi-millionaire businessman. As a thank you gift to my mum, he bought us this place. He still comes around for dinner every once in a while."

I can't even respond to her story because at this point, I was too distracted by the way her eyes lit up at the mention of her mum, or how kissable her lips really looked.

"You okay there Em?" she asks, worry evident in her clear eyes.

"I'm fine. Just give me a fucking..give me a..." I trail off, and before I know it, my lips are suddenly on hers. Quickly, I retract myself and slap my hand over my mouth. "Naomi, I'm so so-" I begin saying until Naomi hungrily attacks my mouth once more. Her lips felt so soft and her tongue begged for entrance which it was easily granted. The feel of her tongue on my own was enough to make me lightheaded and release a moan that would put Katie's to shame. Eventually, we run out of breath and break apart; foreheads resting against each other. "You liked that." I say softly.

Naomi lets out a chuckle and gently brings my face to look at hers, "You're gay."

"Yeah." She lets out another snort before standing up, offering me her hand in the process.

"C'mon Ems, we've got a party to attend to." I easily take her hand into my own, where she then proceeds to link our fingers together and leads us down the stairs.

_Best fucking night ever._

* * *

The party at Chez Campbell eventually died out around 1:30 in the morning with Cook escorting Katie, who was dragging Emily with her, back to the twins' home in Fulham. Naomi couldn't help but to laugh at Cook's new found chivalry, to which he responded with a very generous "fuck you, Blondie" before planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. Effy and Freddie left not long afterwards, the crowd of the party following right behind the mysterious couple. Effy had left Naomi with a look that could only say "I know what happened," causing Naomi to blush hard at the memory of the redhead's lips on hers.

_Oh god, Emily. You have no idea what you've done to me. And your lips, so soft._

Soon enough, it was just Naomi once again in her massive flat, cleaning up yet another mess in the downstairs bathroom. _Bloody wankers can't learn to purge in the actual loo._ After the bathroom had received a proper cleaning, the bell went off, alerting Naomi that her guest had finally arrived. As she opens her door, she's rewarded with the sight of him leaning casually against the frame, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Heard you had a party and you didn't invite me. I'm hurt, Naomi. How are you gonna make it up to me?" Before she even has a chance to respond, he's already attacking her neck; Naomi's sudden resolve breaking down faster than it had appeared. As she let's her emotions and sensations take over, there are only three words in her mind.

_Forgive me, Emily._

* * *

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry for the delay in updating! I was more upset about my brother leaving for uni then I actually thought; but, I managed to squeeze this itty bitty chapter for you guys. I hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far and I'll try to update on Saturday once more.**_  
_

**Chapter Song: _Teenage Crime _by Adrian Lux**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Off to The Races

The two days following Naomi's party were, for the lack of a better word, **not** pretty. Still to this day, neither Katie or I have any recollection of making it home or waking up the next day, cuddled next to each other. What I do have an extreme amount of recollection is of the way Naomi's lips tasted upon my own. Jesus, that's the best thing I've ever tasted. I'm snapped out of my thoughts thanks to Katie throwing a used napkin directly at my face.

"Katie! That's fucking repulsive!" I yell at her, tossing the napkin aside.

"No, what's repulsive is your face every time you think about that muff muncher snogging your face off." she huffs.

"Go fuck yourself, Katie. What about your face every time Cook comes up in the conversation? Hm?! Oh look at me, I'm Katie Fucking Fitch and I think James Cook is the fittest lad I've ever laid my eyes on! Blah, blah, fucking blah." I say, letting out a snort as I finish and Katie's face turns a shade of red that can only rival my hair.

"You're such a sodding cow." She replies, promptly standing up from the kitchen table and stomping out into the back garden. I let out a deep sigh and drop my head against the table with a loud thump. It's too early for this bullshit. I stopped banging my head against the table, stood up and dumped my soggy bowl of cereal in the sink, and proceeded out the back garden. I'm met with the sight of one Katie Fitch smoking a fag. I sit next to her, swipe a fag from her box, and spark it up before taking a long drag of it.

"Since when do you smoke, Katie?"

"Since the second day I got to Marbella. Cunts of a roommates got me into it."

"It's a bit hypocritical of you, isn't it?"

She takes a drag of her fag before turning towards me, eyebrows raised in a confused manner, "What the fuck are you talking about, Emily?"

"I mean, when we were younger, you'd always go on and on about my smoking habits and the 'carcinogens' I'd blow in your face." I say, smirking back at my similar face. Her eyes flash dangerously before her mouth sets itself up with an identical smirk.

"Oh Emsy, you should know by now that I don't play by anyone's rules, not even my own." she winks before lightly shoving my shoulder. She adjusts her position and mutters something I could barely hear, "Katie sham."

"Emsy sham. Now then, are you coming to work with me today?" I ask her.

"Ugh, God no. I'd rather cut off my left tit before stepping foot in that place.""No need to be so dramatic, Katie. I don't have to leave until midday so, that gives you about two hours to get ready." I say, flicking my fag off to the side and walking back towards the house.

"Why the fuck do you think I'm going to work with you, Emily?!" I hear her shout.

I let out a laugh and shout back to her, "Because we all know that you can't resist the tag team effort that is Red and the Cookie Monster!"

* * *

"You've got to be bloody joking! This can't be fucking happening!" I shout, roughly pushing the water gun. Once more, I find myself banging my head against a solid surface; this time, it's one of the pillars of my booth.

"What can't be fookin' happenin'?"

I feel myself jump three feet in the air; the sudden voice startling me, "Christ's Sake! Cook, you scared the living shit out of me!"

"Eh, sorry 'bout that Emilio. Now, tell the Cookie Monster what can't be fookin' happenin'?"

"This sodding gun is jammed, once again. I've tried calling Maintenance like three times this week but the Maintenance guy hasn't shown up all week and JJ is too busy working his regular shift to come check it out." I say, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"S'no need to call Maintenance today, Red." He says before he starts whistling towards something behind my back, "Yo, Tone! You think you could come check out one of the guns here? Red here has been trying to get your lazy arse for the past week!"

I'm about to yell at Cook for being such a rude wanker until I feel the presence of someone standing behind me.

"Not a problem, James." says a smooth voice. I turn around, instantly greeted by the sight of cloudy blue eyes that look eerily similar to Effy's. His eyes are framed by dark, floppy fringe, and his height is enough to make me feel smaller than I really am, "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. Tony Stonem, at your service; and you are?"

"Emily Fitch. It's about time you show up, I've tried ringing Maintenance to get your arse over here three times this week." I say, giving him my best Katiesque bitch front.

Tony's eyes flash dangerously before a Stonem smirk graces his face, "Feisty; I like it. I apologize. I hadn't been informed that we had new Games personnel." he takes a second and clears his throat, "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

I was about to respond with another witty comment but, Cook seemed to have picked up on my irritated mood and quickly salvaged the situation, "One of 'em guns lost flow again. I think it's actually Number 5."

"Ah, good old Number 5. Don't worry Emily, this happens a lot more then you think. I should have this fixed within the next hour and half, two hours tops."

"Cheers Tone. I'm gonna see about taking Red here for some grub. Supposedly, there's a Black Forest gateau in the employee lounge. C'mon Emilio." Cook says, yanking on my hand.

"It was nice meeting you, Emily." says Tony. I can only nod my head in what I think is a ditto gesture.

_Fucking tosser._

Soon enough, Cook has dragged us far away from both my booth and the employee lounge, dumping us in the arcade.

"Cook, what the fuck are we doing at the arcade?" I ask him, quirking my eyebrow in the process.

"Yous needs to calm down, Emilio. I saw how fired up you were getting with Tony back there; he's not such a bad bloke ya know?" Cook says, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Now, for the next hour and a half, I want you to chill out and use up this entire bag of tokens in this arcade."

I look at the pound of tokens that is now currently resting upon my left palm, "Wait a minute, where exactly are you going to be?"

Cook flashes me a devilish grin, "I've been getting texts from Katiekins all day; we're playing hide and seek and it's now my turn to seek." I think I just gagged a bit.

"Cook, the last thing I wanna know about is what you and my sister get up to. I would like to keep at least some of sanity by the end of this summer, thank you very much."

Cook lets out a laugh before walking away, "This is Wonderland, Emilio; the word sanity doesn't exist here! Cheers mate!"

"This is such bollocky wank shite." I grumble to myself before walking over to one the skee ball machines. I put in the two tokens required, press the start button, and begin to take out my frustrations of the day onto the poor arcade machine.

First with Katie being the bitch she really is; followed by us missing our train thanks to said bitch; and now Tony Stonem, the ever mysterious Maintenance man has finally decided to show up. Tossers.

"You might want to slow down there. I don't think the machine can handle all of that Fitch Fitness strength." says a cool voice that effectively pulls me out of my thoughts.

"What do you want, Effy?"

"There's not much I want these days. I guess you could say I have everything I want. The question is, what do you want, Emily Fitch?" I throw my last ball and look up at Effy; her signature smirk planted on her face, as per usual.

"It's not like it matters. I met your brother today, nice bloke." I sneer out, "But then again, you probably already knew that."

"I did. Any particular reason why you're acting like a total bitch today?" she asks, cocking her head to the side; her blue eyes almost scanning my soul.

"I..I actually don't know. It's been a shit day really." I say, sighing deeply.

"You don't say. Come on." she says, walking away from me.

"Where are we going?" I say, finally catching up to her.

"To get out that stick that's been wedged up your arse." With that, our conversation is officially dropped. We continue walking until I begin to realize that we're almost at the very edge of the park. Effy makes a sharp turn behind a gate while making a gesture that clearly means, "follow me". We walk through a dark tunnel that eventually drops us in an open field that has the ever random roller coaster tracks in the area.

"This isn't where you plan on killing me is it, Effy?" I ask, suddenly unsure of my sense of trust in her.

She lets out a chuckle before grabbing my hand, forcing me to lay down next to her. "Close your eyes." she says into the open air. I turn my head towards her, raising my eyebrow in a questioning motion, "Just fucking do it, Fitch."

"Jesus, alright. Don't get your knickers in a twist." I close my eyes and let Effy's voice become the sole object of my attention.

"Pick a thought, just one, and focus all of your energy on it. Leave your body alone and just focus on that one thought." her cool, whisper like voice says to me. I inhale and let my thoughts roam free. Immediately, my mind goes through all of the events that have solely happened in July: from mine and Katie's twentieth birthday; to our family's sudden bankruptcy; and a couple of other things as well. With each memory and incident, I can feel myself winding up like a coil; just waiting to be sprung. Why does all this shit have to happen now? Why is it that at the one point in my life where I'm truly happy, the universe decides to take it all away?

But then, my train of thought makes its final stop at a station that is home to only one worker: Naomi Campbell. Just picturing her beautiful white gold strands of hair that delicately frame her ice blue eyes is enough to make my breath hitch and cause a tingling sensation in between my legs. My clear image of her face warps into how she looked before I leaned in and kissed her. God her lips; I can't even fathom how I've survived so long with out them. She's so beautiful; actually, beautiful doesn't even do her justice. It's as if suddenly, all of my animosity towards those recent events has become insignificant to the amount of emotions that I have towards Naomi; and the worst part is, I don't even know why I have such a wide range of feelings for her. It scares the shit out me. I let out another deep sigh; clearing my head once more.

I don't know how long I'm lying there for but all of a sudden, one of the roller coasters zooms exactly over me; effectively ending my state of trance. I shoot up quickly, the adrenaline in my system causing me to frantically search my surroundings. Once again, I find myself alone and no Effy in sight. Fucking bitch. I begin stretching my now sore back when another coaster cart whizzes over head; scaring the shit out of me once again. Standing up, my back cracks and it's not until I begin making my way towards the tunnel do I realize that I'm feeling more relaxed than I have been in a long time.

"Fucking hell; I hate you, Effy Stonem!" I shout out loud, laughing like a carefree maniac. Once I pass through the tunnel, I begin making my way back towards the park, with a new mantra instilled in my mind.

_Naomi Campbell, prepared to be fall to the powers of Emily Fitch._

* * *

On the other side of Wonderland, at a table in the very back of the Wonderland Café, sat a disgruntled and slightly moody Naomi Campbell. Her mind had been running nonstop for the past two days; causing her to miss out on the little sleep she already gets and it was all because of a one, Emily Fitch. The little red head had looked utter stunning underneath the moon lit night: her porcelain skin looked so creamy, it was practically glowing; her eyes sparkled the brightest Naomi's ever seen; and her velvety lips were just practically screaming, _Kiss me, damnit!_ Naomi lets out a groan and drops her head on the table top.

"Why, why, why, why, why?! You totally scared her away, you stupid twat!" she grumbles to herself. This is why I try to not get involved with birds anymore; they're too mindfucking and crazy. Her mental rant is cut short by the ever appetizing smell of a hot mac and cheese sandwich with bacon bits being placed in front her head. Without even lifting her face off of the table, Naomi reaches for the sandwich and drags it towards her mouth.

"Scared who away, love? Is it that dodgy girl who was following you around last month?" chimes the ever caring voice of a one Gina Campbell.  
Naomi frowns into the sandwich and shivers at the memory. _Fucking Sophia; right creep, she was. _

"No mum, it's not her. She disappeared last month. I'm talking about someone you haven't even met yet. She just started working here." It's about damn time too.

Gina's lack of a response only affirms Naomi's theory that she was deep in thought. _Like mother, like daughter._ She thinks to herself. "Oh! You mean Emily?"

Naomi's head snaps up faster than Gina can keep track of and soon enough, Naomi hit the back of her head with the booth chair.

"How the fuck did you know it was Emily?!" she whisper screams while holding her now pulsing head; eyes wide with shock. Gina can only let out a chuckle at her daughter's dramatic reaction. Naomi could deny their relation all she wanted, but everyone knows that Naomi's intuitiveness was something her loser of a father most certainly did **not** have.

"You aren't as slick as you think you are, dear. Besides, I'm your mum; I know everything," Gina says playfully winking at her grumpy daughter, "She was just here actually. I don't know how you could've missed her; then again, you were too busy giving yourself a concussion to notice anything."

Naomi finally sits up and just stares at her mum; her mind working as fast as it's ever been over the past two days, "Hardy har har. You're so funny that I forgot to laugh. It's fine; I don't think she's my biggest fan at the moment either way." she says, her voice getting smaller towards the end.

"Why's that, love? Did something happen at your party over the weekend?" Gina gently asks, fully aware of her daughter's tendency to lash out when pushed too far.

"How did you even? Never mind. Yeah, I guess you can say something happened. I don't really want to talk about, Mum." she says, not making eye contact with her mother and making herself busy by patting her pockets for a lighter. _Fucking Effy. She needs to learn some personal boundaries._ Gina, always a step a head, procures a spare lighter from her apron pocket and hands it to her daughter; to which she responds with a measly 'thanks' and a shrug.

"Just remember, love: the people who make us happy are never the people we expect. So when you find someone, you've got to cherish it. I'll leave you to it. Oh! And if you see Anthea, tell her to bring something stronger than Pinot Grigio tonight; Jim's been a proper sod all morning." she says before leaning down and kissing her daughter's already scrunched forehead.

Naomi sits in the booth for another twenty minutes, lit fag perched gracefully in her right hand, processing her mum's philosophical advice. Eventually, she comes up with a decision that she knows she won't regret.

_Let the games begin._

* * *

**AN: I'm sooo sooo sooo sorry for taking so long with an update! School started up again and I found myself having no time to even sleep! I'm changing the update schedule to _at least _once a month; if not, whenever I have the time to write I'll try to keep you guys posted. **

**So the chase will officially begin in the next chapters but of course, there will be a few challenges along the way. Thank you for those who have stuck with me and will continue to stick with me, it means a lot!**

**Chapter song: _Off to The Races -_Lana Del Ray **


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